


Birds of a Feather

by sadwendigo



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Bad Puns, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Ducks, Fluff, Fraternizing, Humor, Idiots in Love, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22562080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadwendigo/pseuds/sadwendigo
Summary: “Good evening, angel,” the demon smirked. “In a hurry are we?”Aziraphale felt waves of emotion flood his body, completely out of his control. He felt embarrassed for bumping into him so suddenly, pleased to see his companion again, and shocked all at once. He patted down his wrinkled waistcoat, crumpled from the chase, and straightened his bowtie. Aziraphale didn’t know what to say, the air suddenly getting awkward after remembering their last conversation. His blue eyes scanned quickly over the demon, finding him in the latest fashion as always. His black hat was firmly on top of his head, no duck could reach quite that high.“It’s a duck,” the angel finally admitted. “It took my hat.”Crowley seemed to fight off a smile and clicked his tongue like he was scolding a child.“Getting bested by a duck, well that’s a new one.”
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 134





	Birds of a Feather

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my swap fic with @lunchtop  
> I had a lot of fun writing this piece! I hope you enjoy!  
> Thank you to my friends who helped beta my mess!

**_London 1865_ ** _– 3 years after the “Fraternizing” incident_

Aziraphale looked up towards Heaven with a small frown bending his lips. The scene before him was heartbreakingly beautiful, just as all of God’s creations were to him. St. James Park was encased in a pink glow, the sunset’s farewell reflecting in the water. The whole place was painted with evening colors, yet few people were out basking in it. Ducks made their noise from below, quacking over crumbs left behind from the numerous feedings that day. Aziraphale stood alone, feeling a cold weight settle on his back, a weight called loneliness. He had only ventured to this park once after his fight with Crowley. Now in the darkening hours of the evening, the angel mourned the loss of conversation. Well, more than that, he genuinely missed his demonic companion.

He took his hat off his head and ruffled his curly blonde hair. A large duck quacked loudly to his right, startling Aziraphale to attention. There stood a rather large and curious mallard, eyes studying Aziraphale as if it recognized him. Aziraphale smiled down at the feathered creature and pulled out a handful of seeds to feed it with. The duck, however, seemed more interested in his white top hat and plucked it from Aziraphale’s hand.

“Y-you!” Aziraphale called out in shock. He reached out to take his hat back, but the duck jerked away and began to run. The beast flapped its wings, propelling speed as it darted through the park with the hat in its beak. “Come back here, you troublesome thing!”

Aziraphale chased after the duck, out of breath already, mouth huffing out puffs of hot air. He could have miracled the hat back if he had been thinking properly, but one of Aziraphale’s flaws was that he usually forgot he had powers at the worst time. More than that, he had to watch how many miracles he performed in general. The angel was close to giving up on the hat entirely, telling himself that he could always buy a new one, but the cheeky little thing turned to taunt him.

“Oh, you,” Aziraphale grumbled. “Shouldn’t you be kind to the hand that feeds you?”

The duck waited until Aziraphale was practically in front of him before turning off and rounding a large tree. The angel moaned in frustration, picking up his pace to follow. Just as he rounded the same tree, he crashed into a person, or rather, Crowley's chest. Aziraphale almost fell backward, but thin arms wrapped around him to help keep him steady.

“Crowley!”

“Good evening, angel,” the demon smirked. “In a hurry are we?”

Aziraphale felt waves of emotion flood his body, completely out of his control. He felt embarrassed for bumping into him so suddenly, pleased to see his companion again, and shocked all at once. He patted down his wrinkled waistcoat, crumpled from the chase, and straightened his bowtie. Aziraphale didn’t know what to say, the air suddenly becoming awkward in memory of their last conversation. His blue eyes scanned over the demon, finding him in the latest fashion as always. His black hat was firmly on top of his head, no duck could reach quite that high.

“It’s a duck,” the angel finally admitted. “It took my hat.”

Crowley seemed to fight off a smile and clicked his tongue like he was scolding a child.

“Getting bested by a duck, well that’s a new one.”

Aziraphale felt his face turn red at the remark. He gave the demon an annoyed glance before trying to walk away to return to his game of chase. Crowley side-stepped in front of him, blocking his path. The demon reached out like he was about to place a hand on Aziraphale’s shoulder, but quickly put it down again.

“Oh, let me help you,” he said with a demonic smirk, “I’d feel bad if I let you take on a duck all by yourself.”

“A demon feeling bad,” Aziraphale laughed, “what a concept.”

He tried to move away again, but Crowley stepped in front once more. Aziraphale didn’t have time to argue, not when the duck had put so much distance between them. Huffing, the angel nodded in agreement and Crowley smiled, letting the angel pass and moved by his side. The two continued on, searching for one particular duck holding onto an angel’s white top hat. Aziraphale winced when he realized his hat wouldn’t be white anymore, not after being dragged by a duck. He tried to start jogging again, but Crowley was taking his time, strolling leisurely on the path. Night was beginning to fall and the street lamps lit, attracting insects to collect around their glow.

“Crowley, please,” Aziraphale begged, knowing Crowley was much faster than himself. “You’re moving too slow.”

With a devilish grin, the demon began to pick up his pace only to link arms with the angel. Aziraphale grew flustered again, not understanding what Crowley was up to. He was led to an open horse-drawn carriage waiting to be used. Crowley handed money to the driver and Aziraphale stared at him with a blank expression.

“Around the park, sir,” Crowley ordered the human. He ushered the angel to get in, but Aziraphale stood his ground.

“Get in, angel.”

“I don’t have time for a joy ride, Crowley!”

“It’ll be easier to see the duck from up there, and I can tell your legs are tired.” Crowley ushered towards the carriage once more, helping Aziraphale take a seat. The angel couldn’t argue, his legs were tired, and Crowley did have a point. Crowley slid in next to him, their arms brushing for a moment before Aziraphale scooted away. The driver whistled and the carriage began to move, allowing a nice breeze to cool off their skin. With the lamps lit and the darkening sky above, it became clear that they needed to find the duck soon. Aziraphale looked out on the left, searching for the color white anywhere.

Crowley was slumped against the seat, arms folded casually behind his head. It seemed like he was enjoying himself immensely.

“Crowley, are you looking?”

“Yes, angel.”

Aziraphale didn’t quite believe him. Minutes passed by, the only noise being the horseshoes hitting the earth. Crowley let out a bored yawn, stretching his arms out as wide as he could. The demon looked over at Aziraphale daring to reach out and ruffle his curly hair.

“You know, you could always buy a new hat,” Crowley suggested.

“That’s not the point! I’ve kept that hat in tip-top condition for years! I can’t have that duck showing its feathered friends that I’m one to be taken advantage of. I come to this park too often for that.”

“Fraternizing with ducks are you?”

_Ah_ , Aziraphale grew quiet. Of course, Crowley hadn’t forgotten, why would he? He had felt bad about using such a word to describe their… whatever relationship one would call it. It was a heavy word, one that added more weight to the whole situation. The angel opened his mouth about to respond, but Crowley nudged him and pointed ahead.

Suddenly as if by some miracle, Aziraphale spotted the duck sat on a bench a few feet forward. Aziraphale stood up abruptly, forgetting he was in a moving carriage for a second, almost falling backward. Crowley hurriedly placed his arm up to help give the angel more balance after ordering the driver to stop. They rushed out of the carriage, Aziraphale in front, jogging over to seize the duck. It wasn’t about his top hat anymore, it was about taking back what belonged to him. It was a welcomed distraction from **_that dreadful word_** that hung in the air. The duck quacked at the sight of the angry angel coming towards him, reaching over to the hat laid beside him.

“Don’t!” Aziraphale yelled, but the duck had already picked it up and flew into the water. The angel made a face of defeat, watching on in horror as his beautiful top hat splashed around with the bird.

“Pity,” Crowley said just over his shoulder. Suddenly Aziraphale didn’t want the hat anymore. He felt like he had wasted his whole evening.

“Well, that’s that,” Aziraphale whispered, hanging his head down low.

“You could just miracle it over here,” Crowley said.

“That seems like too much of a frivolous miracle.”

“Angel, you’ve used your powers for less.”

Aziraphale didn’t respond to that, knowing Crowley was right. The demon stood up a little straighter, taking off his dark glasses to wipe them clean. His golden eyes glowed like haunting orbs in the dim light. He stared at Aziraphale, studying his face like he was contemplating something. The duck began to flap out on the water, letting the hat float by itself.

“I could get the hat for you,” Crowley offered. Aziraphale’s whole body brightened like a spark went off from the inside. He looked at the demon in shock. ‘ _Of course, he would_ ,’ Aziraphale thought, ‘ _it’s Crowley_.’

“You’d do that?”

“Well, I will, if you take back what you said. Take back that awful word,” Crowley requested. He began to circle the angel like normal, strutting around like he wasn’t fully used to human legs. “And you’ll have to buy me dinner.”

Aziraphale was silent for a moment letting the words sink into his mind. He looked over his shoulder, up to heaven, and then back to Crowley.

“I’m sorry, I really am, dear boy. I take back _that word_ ,” Aziraphale nodded. He didn’t need to verify which word the demon had been referring to, _he felt it_. “And I suppose I do owe you dinner.”

“I hate that word,” Crowley admitted, suddenly smirking after the angel’s apology. “And I want to eat at the most expensive place.”

With the snap of his fingers, the hat appeared in Crowley’s hand in a flash of a second. There was a tear and some stains at the bottom, not to mention it was soaking wet. The demon held it up and blew on it like he was blowing a kiss of air, dusting the blemishes off the hat. He studied it over, turning it around with his long fingers, pleased with his work. He walked up to the angel and placed it on his head with a playful pat.

“Oh, thank you, my dear,” Aziraphale smiled, reaching up to settle it properly. He smiled at Crowley, heart full from the kindness the demon always showed him.

\--_--

The restaurant was lovely, perfect at catering to one’s every desire. Aziraphale loved the clever things humans could do with food, savoring each exquisite flavor. Desserts were all laid out on the table while an angel and demon sat together under a crystal chandelier. Crowley barely touched the food, as usual, but he did help himself to a nice bottle of wine, savoring the bitter taste in his mouth.

Aziraphale took a bite of cream, loving the way it melted in his mouth. He looked over to find Crowley smiling at him, the tint of light, making his eyes visible behind his glasses. His heart started to flutter in a way it had only done when he was with the demon. They held eye contact for the longest time, their eyes saying what their mouths couldn’t. Crowley reached out to place his hand on top of his angel’s and squeezed it once before looking away.

When the dinner was over, Crowley paid for their meals, though it was supposed to be Aziraphale’s treat. They walked out into the darkened city, basking under the moon’s cool light.

“You should have let me pay, dear boy,” Aziraphale said with a smile. Crowley tipped his top hat towards him. “Would you like to come back to my bookshop? I have a lovely bottle of wine I think you’d be interested in?”

“I’ll have to take up your offer another time, angel,” Crowley said as he pushed Aziraphale’s hat down with a pat. “I’ve got something I need to take care of.”

As much as Aziraphale wanted to argue, he chose to end the night on a good note. They said their goodbyes and began to walk their separate ways. Both of them looking back at each other multiple times with small waves and laughter.

-_-_-_

Crowley made his way back to St. James Park, whistling once, waiting for his accomplice to show up. Soon the same duck that had stolen Aziraphale’s hat waddled up to him. He bent down to pet the animal on the back.

“Great work,” Crowley said to the duck. He pulled out a bag and opened it for the creature. “The best duck pellets in all of London. As promised.”

The duck stuck it’s head into the bag of food, quacking happily at the reward. Crowley sat down on the grass, watching the bird eat his fill. He took off his dark glasses and looked up at the moon, admiring how full and beautiful she was that night.

“Well it serves him right,” Crowley said aloud, perhaps talking to the duck, perhaps the moon, or even himself. “I warned him that I had plenty of others to fraternize with.”

**_Fin._ **

* * *


End file.
